I've travelled across the middle of the US recently, and many non-highway roads I've been on have had farm stands. These stands are selling tomatoes, melons, corn, peaches, cucumbers, squash--the bulk of the summer produce is ripe and ready from Michigan to Delaware (and probably other places, but I haven't been to them this week).

A CSA farm share haul from a few weeks back.

With all this ripe fresh goodness at your fingertips, making a quick and delicious dinner is easy. I brought home the farm share box, realized we had plenty of leftovers for the kids to scrounge dinner, and decided to treat myself to a riff on my Five Layer Mediterranean Chicken Dip. I'd first made that dip before cucumbers and tomatoes were in season, and I'd thought the concept (base of dip topped with goodies and eaten with pita chips) was a good one. Mine started with a base of Kale and Sumac Hummus (recipe below) but any hummus will do. I also keep a few jarred vegetables on hand (olives and artichoke hearts) to add some layers of flavor to the fresh produce.

As an aside, in my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient (a page on the bar above) I have a category for Veggies in Jars where I index my recipes that use artichokes and olives, as well as capers and sun dried tomatoes and probably something else.

All I needed to do was grab a cucumber, a banana pepper, a couple of tomatoes, and after a few minutes of chopping I had a fresh crunchy cool zingy dinner ready to go. When I realized that I'd unwittingly combined many elements of Fattoush into an appetizer, I decided to call this Fattoush Dip with Kale Hummus.

Only one problem--I was at the end of the bag of pita chips. So I quickly regrouped (I am a military spouse, after all, and plan F or U or B or R is my specialty), used the pita chip crumbs as croutons, and turned this into an appetizer eaten with a spoon.

Kale and Sumac Hummus

1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas
1 cup tightly packed blanched or steamed kale (stems removed)
3 cloves garlic (here's how I roast and put up my garlic crop)
1/3 cup tahini (could go up to 1/2 cup if you like)
juice of 1 lemon (at least 1/4 cup, could use more if you like, and use the lemon zest if you're feeling zesty)
1/4 teaspoon sumac (this makes it more Fattoush-y, this recipe is why I bought some)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more to dribble over the top of the finished hummus

Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor. Pulse several times, then scrape down the sides and process until finely blended. Allow the hummus to hang in the refrigerator for a few hours to blend the flavors, but it's best served at room temp with a dribble of olive oil over top as shown below. Yes, I am a liberal dribbler.

1/4 cup crumbled cheese (I had goat which was fine, but I wish I'd had feta too)

1/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts

2 Tablespoons chopped olives (I like green olives)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh banana peppers

1/4 cup pita chip crumbs (see NOTE)

Spread hummus on a dinner plate (mine are about 8 inches across, so maybe salad or lunch plates but smaller plates help with portion size). Top with cucumber, tomato, cheese, and the rest of the veggies. Scatter pita chip "croutons" over top, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper on top.

Dig in with a spoon.

NOTE: If you have whole pita chips, don't break them up--just make sure you've chopped all the veggies pretty small and scoop up the layered dip with the pita chips. But if there's some crumbs at the end of the bag . . . you know what to do (and now I'm singing Hey Ya).

Have you ever said "fattoush-y" before?

Want more ideas for layered vegetable appetizers? Click on the photo to go to each recipe:

Amy,I'm growing banana peppers for the first time, because I really like them pickled on sandwiches so I figured I'd make my own, but my plants so far are giving me single banana peppers, not a pickling amount. So I've put some on pizza, and in a salad, and now this--they're good. But I'd rather put up a jar full!Thanks!

I literally have every ingredient for this in my kitchen right now (farm shares for the win), although my hummus is just the regular store bought stuff, and I've no pita chips. I do have bread though and the skills to make croutons. I'm also dining solo tomorrow night and since my Hubby isn't a huge fan of olives or artichokes, but I certainly am, your timing is impeccable. Thanks.

Sam,You've no idea how gratifying it is to run around seeking wifi (I was on vacation last week) and emailing photos back and forth with the spouse for processing ideas in order to get the post up, and receive "I've got all these ingredients now" comments. Does my heart good to read them, thank you very much.

Alyssa,This hummus was the first time I used mine--I'd had it in the back of my mental 'spices to buy' list for a few years, and I finally bought it this summer during a Penzey's pilgrimage, but then I had to remember what I'd wanted it for. Alanna's A Veggie Venture and Liz's Lemon Bowl to the rescue, I remembered the flavor idea I'd had.Thanks!

Julie,I am sure spinach would be delicious in hummus--if I ever get any I'll have to try. May have to start growing my own this fall.I'm becoming a fiend for dips for dinner, there's something very relaxing about it.Thanks!

Lauren,Lucky you to get cukes from the garden!I was gone for a week, and haven't yet checked my garden to see what happened while we were away. I'm hoping that an unwatched tomato finally ripens, but we'll see after dawn.

Kirsten, this looks SO refreshing--perfect for a muggy summer day. We have some mega good Middle Eastern food here in SE Michigan but I have yet to try making it at home. I might have to start with your fattoush since it doesn't look too complicated. Plus, it's such a great way to use all this fresh summer produce!

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